Roger Waters hopes that continued interest in The Wall signals a change for the better in society.
The former Pink Floyd mastermind premiered the movie version of his epic touring show in Canada at the weekend.
Asked why the 1979 concept album still resonates today, Waters tells the Toronto Sun: “I think people are sick and tired of being told that the most important thing in their life is commerce – the new this and the new that.
“They’re sick of being told what’s important is whether we win or lose, or whether or not we’re exporting more. I think people are ready to go, ‘All that rhetoric led us to lob bombs over the wall that divides society. We no longer want to be told that they’re scum and we’re great.’”
Admitting he’s an optimist, he adds: “It may be we’re no longer interested in the ‘us and them’ political philosophy that we’ve been fed for the last couple of thousand years. We may be ready to move into a new place.”
Producers say of the movie, simply entitled Roger Waters: The Wall: “The film, like the piece of music on which it is based, is drenched in Waters’ politics and memories. Scarred by the fact that his father was killed in action in Italy in 1944, when Roger was not yet six months old, his work is a plea for peace and understanding – as walls create fear, misunderstanding, and often lead to war and death.
“On the hundredth anniversary of the First World War’s outbreak, this film shows that art so often springs from memory – and we can never forget.”
It’s to be shown at the Toronto International Film Festival for a third time at the weekend, but no other dates have yet been revealed.
